


Brother, Here We Go Again

by OffCenter



Series: Complications [5]
Category: Moonlight (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-29
Updated: 2008-07-29
Packaged: 2018-03-31 17:26:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3986575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OffCenter/pseuds/OffCenter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josef throws a Christmas party; trouble ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brother, Here We Go Again

Beth looks down at the envelope through narrowed eyes before opening it. Heavy cream stock, embossed lettering, Josef's return address. She opens it and starts laughing to see that she and Mick have been "cordially invited" to a week-end Christmas party. Yeah, that cordiality would disappear fast if they tried to make their excuses, and all three of them know it.  
  
She suspects the party is Simone's idea. Josef still denies that there's anything serious between the two of them, while Simone insists that Josef will be changing her soon so they can be together permanently. It's an uncomfortable situation to witness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The week before the party is a flurry of activity for Beth. She hadn't realized at first that as one of Josef's "honored guests" she'd reflect on him (as well as on Mick). The day Mick mentions it she storms into Josef's office, blowing past security and his secretary. She's more than ready to both tear Josef a new one and remind him that her budget doesn't include dressing up to make him "look good", as Mick had put it.  
  
But before she gets fairly started Josef flicks something at her. She catches it easily, then is ready to explode again when she realizes she's holding a platimum card with her name on it. Josef raises an eyebrow, and she pauses.  
  
"Relax, Turner. Business expenses. Consultation fees. The entire week-end is a huge write off. And if you tell Simone that, I'll either deny it or introduce you to the tarpits personally. Or both." They share a look, Josef looming and Beth not quite hiding a grin.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It's mid afternoon when they arrive, still early, as Josef had requested. Josef leads them to the rear of the house, where he introduces them to his new director of security, an immense red-headed mountain who looks like he'd have been perfectly at home pillaging Northern Europe a few centuries ago. "Orm, Mr. St. John and Miss Turner, both my honored guests. Some of my other guests may not be aware of Miss Turner's – unique – status. I expect you to correct any misapprehensions." Beth looks at Josef curiously – she knows she's not the only human here – but he shakes his head at the same time Mick does, so she holds her tongue.  
  
Josef ushers them into a suite with their luggage already inside. Once the door is secured, he raises an eyebrow at her inquiringly.  
  
"Unique status?" Josef grins and nods at Mick, who looks uncomfortable and doesn't say anything. She pokes him impatiently and Josef snorts.  
  
"You're human, you're not a freshie – but you're my honored guest and under my protection. There will be several old-fashioned vampires here who might take exception to that, since they feel the only real use for a mortal is dinner on the hoof, so to speak. But Orm can be rather convincing, between his size and his age, and if he can't convince someone, he's also rather deadly. You shouldn't have any problems. He'll also alert the rest of the staff ."  
  
Beth wrinkles her nose. "You're telling me that other vampires can _tell_ if a human lets vampires feed from them?"  
  
Josef smirks again. "The scent is different, on several fronts. Mick's scent is on you, but not in the way they'd expect. Nor does he smell like your blood." He adds in a soft singsong voice, "Because he's a _freak_ ," and Beth narrows her eyes dangerously at him.  
  
"If you run into any difficulty, call for me, Mick, or Orm. No one will come in these rooms uninvited since they'll scent Mick here. Or, you know, I could bite you, then you'd smell like you're one of mine." He laughs at Mick and Beth's matching looks and saunters to the door. "Shame. The festivities start at 8." He grins and adds "Do me proud, Turner," before sliding out the door, far ahead of the pillow she hurls at his head.  
  
"He does that on purpose, doesn't he?"  
  
"You think? He loves pulling your pigtails. And mine, too," Mick admits wryly.  
  
Beth starts exploring. Besides the well-appointed sitting room, there's a luxurious bedroom (with a large freezer discretely tucked behind a breathtaking oriental screen) and bathroom. She unpacks quickly, hanging both evening dresses in the bathroom and turning on the steam shower. Mick startles her, appearing with his tux and hanging it and his dress shirt as well.  
  
She grins and grabs him by the belt, tugging him to the bed. "So, we've got some time to kill. Whatever shall we do?" Mick has plenty of suggestions.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The party's just starting when they enter. The lighting is subdued and Josef really did buy an immense Christmas tree, just as he'd threatened. The angel on the top shares more than a passing resemblence to Sarah, Beth thinks. Soft music fills the room, provided by a group of musicians in one corner.  
  
She's surprised when she hears Mick hailed by Logan. Beth smiles at his outfit: a black tuxedo jacket over a Van Halen tshirt, black dress trousers, and black hightops with little skulls on them. He's got an immense drink and is sporting what Beth just knows is a blood-moustache. As he and Mick talk she looks around, pleased when she spots Simone. She's only half-way there when Josef is suddenly at her side, steering her to a darker corner. "Help me," he pleads with her, somehow looking spooked, irritated, and dangerously amused all at once.  
  
"I don't think I brought a fly-swatter," she offers, and amusement flares in his face for a moment.  
  
"I'll keep that in mind if I start devolving. _Please_ distract Simone for a while. She wants me to greet the guests with her like we're some sort of Ozzie and ...what's the annoying redhead's name? Harriet?"  
  
"Please. Like you don't know which family's which. I'll talk to her, but you know this isn't going to just go away, right?" She gives him a look for good measure, which he ignores, kissing her cheek and vanishing without another word.  
  
She greets Simone, and in answer to her question allows that she did see Josef, but didn't see where he went. The young lawyer is looking strained around the eyes, although she's smiling brightly. There's a very fresh bite mark on her neck.  
  
Beth leads the conversation to work and family, sharing tidbits from cases and her opinion of Mick's latest culinary adventures. Simone gradually relaxes, and Beth has just realized the room has gotten much fuller when Josef and Mick join them. Mick wraps his arms around her and kisses her hair, and Beth misses neither the longing look Simone tries to hide nor Josef's reaction as he sees it. She smiles at the two of them as Josef wraps an arm around Simone's waist and kisses her, and feels Mick's arms tighten around her. At times like this she envies Mick and Josef's ability to communicate without words and wishes she could share that.  
  
The four stay close for some time, then Josef leads Simone off to meet someone, and Beth and Mick mingle. Guillermo appears briefly, greeting Mick and kissing Beth's cheek, pointing up at the mistletoe she's under and grinning before vanishing again without another word, but there aren't any other faces Beth recognizes. Mick introduces her to several people, including the Cleaner, who Beth's fascinated to meet. He's getting her a cocktail when a woman she doesn't know greets her, looking her up and down with approval. "Aren't you the prettiest thing." Beth backs up a step, directly into Mick, who growls warningly at the newcomer.  
  
The woman laughs at him. "Oh, you're Coraline's puppy – all bark and no bite. She said you'd gone all _human_ ," she sneers, reaching again for Beth. Mick pulls her further away quickly, snarling angrily at the woman, who makes a sudden movement Beth can't quite track. Orm and Josef are suddenly there, Orm staking the woman then hauling her swiftly out of the room before Beth can process what happened. Her neck stings badly, she's dizzy and nauseated, both Mick and Josef have changed, and she's suddenly in Josef's arms as he carries her out of the room so swiftly that everything is a blur to her eyes.  
  
Josef is the first to speak as they enter the suite. "Well, that went badly." He sets her gently on the sofa.  
  
Beth looks at him in confusion, then realizes he's staring at her neck. She touches it, and her hand comes away wet with blood. She's looking at her fingers in shock when Josef takes her hand and licks it clean, then moves closer and licks her neck as well. She looks around for Mick and sees him coming in from the bathroom with towels.  
  
Mick watches without a word, and she grabs at him, feeling dizzy, frightened, and confused. She feels Josef suck gently at her neck for a long moment before he pulls away, licking her blood from his lips as his eyes and skin darken. He pushes Mick's face to her neck, and she feels Mick's lips on her neck, his tongue, feels him sucking and licking gently for long moments, Josef watching intently.  
  
Mick finally pulls away, and Josef's staring at her neck, nodding. "The bleeding's stopped, and between us we've gotten out any infection."  
  
Beth feels less disconnected and realizes now she's been in shock since the attack. "Who was that? What did she do to me?" Beth demands.  
  
"That _was_ Cassandra de Rossi. She tried to claim you, and when Mick warned her off, she tried to kill you. You have a deepish puncture that bled a fair bit. The bleeding's stopped now and you're going to be fine. The good news is everyone here knows a) Cass is dead for attacking you, and b) will now scent both Mick and me on you. And then there's c) I've finally gotten your blood." Josef leers at her and Beth can't help laughing, even though she's still shaking.  
  
Josef smiles briefly before turning serious. "You can bow out if you want, but if you feel well enough, I'd like to take you back to the party. I'd like everyone there to see – and smell – exactly what your status is. It's one thing if they hear a rumor that I carried you out myself and had Cass killed. It's another if they see you walk back in there on my arm. Every eye would be on us – the three of us," he adds, with a look at Mick, who nods in agreement, "That's a much stronger message."  
  
Beth can see that there's something he's not explaining, but she's still feeling lost and spacy. She's trying to decide what she wants to do when there's a soft knock at the door. Josef goes over and admits Simone and a woman introduced as Dr. Whitaker, who checks Beth over throughly, administers a shot of antibiotic and one of B vitamins, and recommends she rest quietly until the shock has completely passed. Simone escorts the doctor back out at Josef's insistence, but she's clearly very unhappy at her exclusion.  
  
Watching Simone leave, it suddenly strikes Beth as very odd that Josef's here with her and Mick rather than escorting Simone back to the party. Just as suddenly she realizes that while he's doing his best to hide it, the attack on her shook Mick up badly. Josef is here to support Mick through both his presence and the bond; he's calming him and making sure Mick knows just how important their safety is to him. She's lying in Mick's arms on the sofa, while Josef is perched on an ottoman next to them, touching Mick ocassionally as they talk. She watches them through half closed eyes, half dozing as the adrenaline wears off, and feels Mick gradually relax.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It takes her a while, but by 11:30 Beth feels well enough to get changed and ready to go back downstairs, albeit still uncomfortable with the idea. The spot on her neck is barely visible, but to Beth it feels more like a huge scarlet "F". Josef is audibly pleased that they'll be down at midnight, but won't say why.  
  
Beth pictures Eliza Doolittle at the Embassy Ball as they walk towards the ballroom. She takes a deep breath at the door, takes both Josef and Mick's arms, and sails into the room between them, doing her best to ignore the point that Josef was entirely correct when he said every person in the room would be watching.  
  
After escorting them to a small "Reserved" table, Josef leaves to join Simone, and Beth takes the time to look around again. Logan lopes over and surprises her with a hug and the announcement that _he_ thinks she's "awesome" and he'll do his best to watch her back the rest of the weekend. She hides a smile and thanks him sincerely, kissing his cheek and then grinning as he wanders off looking dazed. She still seems to be an object of interest to much of the crowd and feels a bit uncomfortable when everyone she looks at seems to be just looking away from her.  
  
She relieved when she sees Josef escort Simone to the side of the room, just in front of the tree. The room stills almost immediately. At Josef's gesture the muscians start into "Deck the Halls" as several dozen briefly dressed people walk out, singing beautifully. As the next song starts Beth's jaw drops – the singers move into the crowd and she realizes they're the "refreshments."  
  
"Ho ho ho," Josef intones as he and Simone rejoin them.  
  
" _I'd_ give you coal in your stocking," Beth answers. Mick is clearly trying to keep a straight face as he looks between Josef's pleased countenance and Beth's disapproving one.  
  
Josef sighs. "Honestly, Turner. They're all here willingly. They've been coming to rehearsal for a week. They're getting well-paid for their services. And do you really think anyone will go overboard after Cass got staked in front of them?" He raises an eyebrow when she doesn't answer, and she sighs in turn.  
  
"FINE. But I don't have to like it. I feel like I'm in the middle of a soft porn show or something. It's one thing to see that in private, but..." Beth trails off uncomfortably, but Simone doesn't seem to notice anything worth questioning, and neither Mick nor Josef say anything. She turns so her back is more towards the room, scooting closer to Mick, who puts his arm around her.  
  
Josef promptly changes the subject, pointing out the ruby earrings and pendant Simone is wearing, and regaling them with the misadventures his jeweler had finding such perfect matches in time for the party.  
  
Mick excuses himself for a minute and returns – looking smug – as the band begins "Unforgettable". He offers Beth his hand and she takes it, moving into his arms on the dance floor. Over his shoulder she sees Simone and Josef. Josef looks like he's closed himself off again, and Simone looks close to tears. Not the merriest Christmas. Beth sighs and leans into Mick, who tightens his arms around her.  
  
Suddenly she realizes something and looks up at Mick. "That woman, Cass? She mentioned Coraline and that Coraline said you'd "gone all human." So she must have gotten away from Lance, but she doesn't know Josef changed you back."  
  
Mick's jaw drops and he glances back at the table; Josef's head pivots toward them sharply before he appears suddenly at Mick's side. Beth can't make out what they're saying, and pokes both of them in annoyance. Josef glances at her and nods, leading them both to his office.  
  
"How do you put things together like that? Never mind, I don't really want to know. You're right, though. The only way Cass could have known that is if Coraline slipped the traces again and either told her directly or told someone else." He looks tense as he looks at Mick, and she wonders if they can talk through the bond. "When she finds out you didn't revert naturally, she's not going to be happy."  
  
Mick nods. "I'm not sure she'll be angrier that I gave up mortality for Beth, or that I've bonded with you, though."  
  
Josef adds, "Or that I agreed to turn you back. Every time the two of you fought and you came to me, she'd rant that I was trying to come between you and then threaten to kill me."  
  
Beth pales as it sinks in. Coraline is free, and she's not going to be happy when she finds out about Mick and Josef.  
  
Josef stands up. "Well, I'll put out feelers, see if anyone's spotted her or heard any rumors." He moves to Mick and leans into him for a long moment, mumbling against his collarbone, "Remind me not to have another Christmas party, will you?" Mick nuzzles him gently before they both straighten, kissing for another long moment. Then Josef kisses Beth's cheek as Mick kisses her lips, and the three share matching looks before heading back into the fray.

**Author's Note:**

> Set December 2008.
> 
> Title is from a Tom Lehrer lyric.


End file.
